Alabama takes major recruiting hit in record timing after Nick Saban's retirement

The college football season officially ended on Monday night when the Michigan Wolverines beat the Washington Huskies to win the CFP National Championship. But just two days later, the landscape of the sport officially changed following a report from ESPN's Chris Low.

On Wednesday, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement at the age of 72. That's right, Saban will no longer be standing on the sidelines for the Crimson Tide or on a college football field. It will still take a bit to digest for football fans.

With Saban entering retirement, the Crimson Tide has the unenviable task of finding his replacement. While the program should have no issues getting some of the top candidates available, it's hard to replace the individual who brought six national championships to them. Not just that, but Alabama will have to deal with players either entering the transfer portal or decommitting. Not even a couple of hours after the announcement, one commit is heading elsewhere.

Five-star player decommits from Alabama after Nick Saban retirement

According to Fayes Hawcett of On3 Sports, five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams has officially pulled his commitment from Alabama. Williams' reasoning behind the decision is because of Saban's retirement and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins leaving to become co-offensive coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. Per Hawcett, Williams is expected to commit and sign this February.

Williams was ranked the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2024 class by On3 Sports, so this is a gigantic loss for Alabama. Will Williams join Wiggins at Texas A&M? Or will another top program be able to convince the wide receiver to commit to them?

As a senior at Saraland High School (AL), Williams recorded 72 catches for 1,324 yards and 19 touchdowns while running for 261 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries, per MaxPreps. Overall, Williams recorded 187 receptions for 3,254 yards and 47 touchdowns in three seasons while also rushing for 1,078 yards and 24 touchdowns on 94 carries.

This could very well be a rather hectic time for Alabama. They have to conduct a search and hire a new head coach and will likely have to deal with some player departures as well. In a matter of hours after Saban's retirement, they lost one of the top recruits in the 2024 class.